PM Imran reportedly picks Saudi Arabia for first foreign visit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon be visiting Saudi Arabia on his first official foreign visit after he assumed charge last month.

The Saudi Gazette cites Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry as saying that Imran will visit Saudi Arabia soon. However, a date for the prime minister’s visit to the Kingdom has not yet been finalized.

Imran will meet Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense.

Chaudhry said preparations for the visit are under way, report added. The prime minister will perform Umrah during the visit.

In Jeddah, the Council of Ministers on Tuesday commended the distinguished relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It stressed the keenness of the two sides to promote and develop bilateral ties in all fields.

Last month, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said Saudi King Salman invited Imran Khan to visit Saudi Arabia, which he accepted.

Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul Aziz had telephoned Khan and felicitated him over his party’s victory in the July 25 general elections.

Qureshi said the Saudi King acknowledged Pakistan’s importance and expressed the desire for close and proactive relationships with Islamabad. He said Imran Khan also extended invitation to the Saudi King to visit Pakistan.

During the conversation, Khan told King Salman bin Abdul Aziz that people of Pakistan hold Saudi Arabia in the highest esteem.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said defense of Harmain Sharifain is part of the faith of every Muslim.

The Saudi Arabian ambassador in Islamabad was the first envoy to call on Imran Khan after last month’s general elections.